WORKFLOW ANALYSIS OF AN ORGANISATION

1. Workflow analysis of an
organization
Dr Kanica Kaushal (MBBS,MD)
Senior Resident
School of Public Health
PGIMER Chandigarh

2. Workflow analysis
• Study of the way documents, information and the people
who are related to a process move through an organization.
• Process by which you can take a close look at your
organization and determine where its strengths and
weaknesses lie.
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3. Why workflow analysis?
• Where are we?
• Where do we want to be?
• What do we need to do to get there?
• How do we know if we’re successful?
• Reinforce training
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4. • It is helpful in finding out inconsistencies in the processes of
the organization and enables the organization leaders to
make necessary changes.
• Of course it is not a compulsory function but neglecting
workflow analysis can lead to chronic and stubborn
problems which become difficult to resolve.
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5. • Every workflow analysis will involve the same basic steps.
• However this is not the only method to do a workflow
analysis and different leaders may decide to work with
different methods.
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6. • Several approaches exist to describe and represent work
processes for the purpose of information systems design.
• Which approach to take depends on the goals of the project
as well as constraints.
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7. Analysis of workflow requires a clear definition.
• Karsh defines workflow as occurring at three levels
1.Inter-organizational workflow which includes processes occurring
across organizations such as hospitals and ambulatory clinics
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8. 2.Workflow occurring within an organization which can
include the flow of workers, patients, and information across
space and time in a department as well as the
interdependencies of tasks carried out
3.Individual, cognitive level which refers to a person’s flow of
thoughts related to a task
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9. EXAMPLE
How Can Healthcare Workflow Analysis Help Hospitals In
Deploying their EHR System Successfully?
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10. • Hospitals or medical practices fail to integrate the EHR system
effectively
• Not gone for in-depth healthcare workflow analysis before
implementing the EHR tool.
• Healthcare workflow analysis helps hospitals and medical centers to
find out areas where health IT solutions can help in increasing the
efficiency of performance.03-08-2018 10

11. • Important to design an EHR which smoothly fits into the
workflow pattern of the medical establishment.
• Same EHR model does not work for every medical center.
• Healthcare workflow analysis techniques come in useful in
designing the best EHR system for the medical facility.
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12. • Some steps need to be followed during the healthcare
workflow analysis in order to implement the EHR system
perfectly
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13. A. Mapping of processes
• This is the first thing that needs to be done while carrying
out healthcare workflow analysis.
• The core processes that usually take place with regard to
individual patients and which need to be analyzed in detail
are as follows:
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14. 1.Scheduling
• Person first approaches a medical center
• an appointment is fixed.
• Medical center receives multiple appointment requests every day and
• All these appointments need to be properly recorded in schedule calendars.
• Fact sheets are prepared to record the number of patients that the medical
center receives during a particular time period.
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15. • The scheduling process also includes alerts.
• Both the patient and the doctor should receive alerts about the
upcoming appointment in order to be ready for it.
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16. 2. Patient visit
• When the patient comes to the appointment, the doctor conducts a medical
evaluation.
• The general checkup is followed by a psych evaluation.
• After the evaluation process is over, the doctor carries out the diagnosis
process.
• Every step needs to be recorded so that progress notes can be made and the
doctor can charge the patient accordingly.
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17. 3. Patient admission
• After the diagnosis process is over; the patient gets admitted into
the medical facility on the recommendation of the doctor. The
enrollment process requires the signing of various forms so that the
medical facility gets all the details about the patient.
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18. 4. Treatment process
• Once the patient is admitted into the facility, the doctor makes a
treatment plan. Either individual therapy or group therapy is
provided along with medication management so that the patient
can recover as soon as possible.
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19. 5. Discharge from the hospital
• When the treatment process comes to an end, the patient is
discharged on the date suggested by the doctor. A discharge plan is
made and lots of reports are generated in order to record the
treatment process of the patient in detail.
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20. Mapping process - important part of the
healthcare workflow analysis.
• Without knowing all the processes that go into handling a
patient from the moment he books an appointment till the day
he is discharged, the medical facility cannot design an EHR
system effectively.
• Mapping of processes helps in identifying those areas which can
function more efficiently with the help of HER.
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21. B. Direct observation
• Just taking note of the various processes of functioning does not
help in getting a true picture of the real pattern of the workflow.
• Direct observation is a must to find out which areas require more
attention and how EHR can be implemented to make those areas
more functional.
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22. C. Focusing on time and resource consuming
tasks
• Healthcare workflow analysis is meant to find out problem areas where
health IT can make things easier.
• Those tasks which are time and resource consuming, especially, require
the help of such technology to become less tedious and more efficient.
• The medical facilities should focus on such tasks first and work on them.
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23. D. The workflow analysis process should be
multidisciplinary
• While carrying out healthcare workflow analysis, it is better to bring
together a team of members from all the departments.
• The perspectives of all the members are important in getting a
complete picture of the flow of information within the facility.
• The team members can unanimously agree on a system that works
for all of them effectively.
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24. E. Review of the mapping process
• Mapping process which is carried out at the beginning, should be
reviewed by the staff members.
• Their input is very valuable because they are the ones who carry out
the daily operations of the medical facility.
• They can provide a different perspective on the tasks and
responsibilities which are a part of their daily routine.
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25. Workflow redesign can help your organization
• Maximize efficiencies
• Enhance health care quality and safety
• Remove chaos from your current workflow
• Improve care coordination
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26. Thanks
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